Adventure travel company Intrepid has launched an emergency appeal and committed £58,000 to support immediate relief, aid and rescue efforts in Turkey and Syria after yesterday’s devastating earthquake.

Intrepid has further pledged to donate all profits from bookings on Turkey trips until 30 April 2023.

Its not-for-profit Intrepid Foundation has partnered with Australian Red Cross to ensure funds are effectively allocated to provide immediate and longer-term relief to communities affected by the earthquakes.

This will enable Red Cross and Red Crescent partners to address the immediate and longer-term humanitarian impacts of the earthquakes, it said.

More than 5,000 people are known to have been killed by the earthquake, which struck southeast Turkey close to the Syrian border in the early hours of Monday.

The death toll in Turkey alone is over 3,300.

Intrepid said it will dollar match donations to the Türkiye and Syria Earthquake Appeal while covering the foundation’s administrative costs, ensuring 100% of  donations go directly to the Australian Red Cross. 

“This earthquake has devastated communities across southeastern Turkey and Syria. Most of us can only imagine the trauma of this scale of disaster but through supporting this appeal, we can help communities that need it the most by providing basic emergency first aid and items such as blankets and tents to help house families during the middle of winter,” said Biheng Zhang, General Manager of the Intrepid Foundation.           

Intrepid Travel has a long and close association with Turkey. It became the company’s second destination to offer trips in 1990 and a Turkish mosque features in the company’s logo. It has remained one of Intrepid’s most popular destinations.

Today, Intrepid Travel operates 30 tours in Turkey and has 25 local team members based out of their Istanbul office.

 Intrepid Travel only had one group in Turkey at the time of the earthquake, who are all safe and were on the opposite side of the country from the earthquake’s epicenter at the time.

“Customer safety remains Intrepid’s number one priority, and while the company is closely assessing government travel advisories, no significant changes to future departures are being planned,” it said.

“Intrepid Travel was founded on the idea of using travel as a force for good and giving back to the places we visit,” said James Thornton, Intrepid CEO. “Matching donations and donating all profits from our trips in Turkey is the least we can do for a country that has given so much to our travellers, and done so much for the Intrepid community.”

To donate, visit Türkiye and Syria Earthquake Appeal.

Image credit: Syrian Arab Red Crescent